The Verve is touted as being an urban ATP (all-terrain pushchair). It aims to marry the demands of city life with the desire to get out of the rat race and go off-road. To meet these dual needs, the Verve has two lockable, foam-filled suspension wheels at the front and two pneumatic (air-filled) tyres at the back.
If you’re familiar with Phil and Teds’ inline buggies, you’ll recognise many of the Verve’s features, like the fab ‘follow the sun’ hood (with infinite positions), the contoured ventilated seat, the one-hand recline mechanism, multi-position handle and the large shopping tray.
But the bods at Phil and Teds are rarely happy to standstill and the Verve has several updated specs as well as some features that are making their first appearance. The multi-position seat recline mechanism has been altered so the strap is now threaded into the back of the seat, rather than attached to the back of the seat.
Rather than a foot brake, the Verve has a hand-operated brake that sits in the middle of the handle – press the red button in the centre to brake, squeeze to release.
To use it with a newborn, the main seat can be reclined flat but you may want to buy the Verve/Vibe cocoon (£74.95) for a bit more padding and to make it easier to get the baby in and out.
The second seat, known as the doubles kit (accounting for £109.95 of the total price shown), has three recline positions controlled by a handle at the top of the seat. The 34-degree ‘layback’ position is ideal for inducing sleep. The Verve folds with the second seat attached and can be stored upright.
Optional accessories include storm cover, UV protection sun cover, food tray and cup holder. What’s more, the Verve can be used as a travel system and a double buggy by adding adaptors and the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix, Phil and Teds bebe HS or Phil and Teds Bebe car seat.
What we love
The brushed aluminium, curved chassis of the Verve propels it onto the catwalk reserved for very good-looking buggies.
As a single buggy, I felt that the Verve was a little lost – it’s long and wide for a single buggy with an ‘urban’ tag line. But as a double, it really starts to shine. The Verve feels very light (although it is surprisingly around 13kg) and as a consequence it’s easy to push one-handed and up curbs.
The doubles kit is brilliant. My regular buggy for transporting my two daughters is the Phil and Teds Explorer, where the second seat doesn’t reline at all. This makes it fiddly to get Poppy, 6 months, in and out. In contrast, slotting Poppy into the Verve is easy – I recline the seat to the ‘layback’ position, put her in and bring the seat forward.
What’s more, the chassis has a lot of space between the tubing, which makes it much easier to manoeuvre Poppy and to check on her. When Minnie, 2, sits in the second seat there’s plenty of room.
The hand-operated brake avoids the problem of fishing around with your foot under the second seat to try and find the brake (and preserves your pedicure).
But what makes the Verve Inline Double stand out is the ability to fold the chassis into an impressively compact package with the second seat still attached. There are several stages to the folding process, but what results is a double buggy that’s 27cm wide and stands alone – good for small urban dwellings.
What to watch out for
The Verve is wide (66cm) and with the handle extended fully it’s also long (around 140cm). This means that whilst it’s nimble and corners well, it isn’t necessarily the best buggy for around town. The back wheels really do stick out from the chassis and in some small shops I have difficultly getting around the aisles without knocking into display stands.
On the bus the Verve isn’t received too well – it fills two thirds of the standing space reserved for two buggies.
According to the manufacturer, the Verve is an ATP (all-terrain pushchair). It does handle well off road – the four wheels add stability - but the foam-filled front wheels are noticeably noisier than the pneumatic ones at the back, particularly on rough ground.
Whilst not the most expensive buggy on the market (£599.95 plus £109.95 for the doubles kit), the price may put some people off, especially if you add extras, like the newborn cocoon.
Who is the Phil and Ted Verve Inline Double buggy best for?
Parents-of-two after a stylish, one-stop solution to get around town and off road.
A sleek, stylish buggy that makes transporting two children simple, whatever their age or stage. With some outstanding features and the ability to fold compactly, even with the second seat attached, the Verve Inline Double is a well-designed buggy. But despite the urban tag line it isn’t the easiest inline to use around town.
